Saving The Lost
by Nikki14u
Summary: He was lost, trapped in a world he didn’t understand and forced to live with a monster he feared. Now all he had to do was wait for someone to find him, to rescue him from a hell that no child should have to endure.
1. Rescue Me

**Saving The Lost**

**Summary: **He was lost, trapped in a world he didn't understand and forced to live with a monster he feared. Now all he had to do was wait for someone to find him, to rescue him from hell.

**Notes:** This story was a Charmed fic that I was working on but I have decided to turned it into a One Tree Hill story. But don't worry, both will be finished.

**Warning: **This story has sensitive themes such as **alcoholism** and **child abuse**. Reader's discretion is advised!

**Teaser: **Rescue Me

He could hear her coming. The unmistakable sound of the floor boards creaking and the unsteady pounding of her high heeled shoes against the hard wood floors warned him of the approaching danger.

There was now where to run, no where to hide. All he could do was sit and wait for her to find him.

He suddenly felt his bottom lip start to quiver at the mere thought of being alone at this time of night with her. For when no one was around the woman would commit the most heinous acts of violence against her young child and would torture him for reasons he didn't know or understand. All he knew was that his mother hated him and cursed his very existence and now she was coming for him yet again, to cause him more pain and despair.

It amazed him how she would always find new ways to hurt him. A new way to put buries on his body that she would tell him to remain quiet about before dishing out threats about would occur if he were to speak a word of the abuse. Every night after the attacks the boy would close his eyes tight and prayed to whoever was listening to spare him from this and to make his mother love him like some of the other moms that came to visit his school. As did so, he always held onto a worn picture of the only person that could save him, the only person that was capable of making this better, his father.

Looking down at the picture in his hands the boy traced a finger over the glossy image as he had done many times before hoping that if he wished hard enough his father would magically appear and save him from the monster that his mother had become.

A sudden stillness made the boy's skin crawl, knowing that she was standing right outside his bedroom door, lurking and waiting for the perfect opportunity to inflect more pain upon him. Knowing this the child did the only thing that came to mind he hide the picture of his father underneath his pillow and quickly rose from his bed and walked ever so quietly over to his bedroom closet and opened the door. He then eased himself inside, inching further and further into it's darkness, hiding himself from the imminent threat as well as he could.

Tears ran down his reddened cheeks as the door to his bedroom sung open with an extreme amount of force, sending something crashing down to the floor in its wake. At the exact moment a loud crack of thunder rattled the ground beneath him. The small child trembled as he closed his eyes and held his breath, hoping and praying that she wouldn't be able to find him.

"I know you're here you little bastard!" the woman called out to him in a voice he had come to fear.

It was one full of bitterness and anger, the only emotions she was capable of showing when she had had one drink too many.

At the sound of her tone the boy instantly began to sob heavier but still managed to remain silent. He knew the longer he stayed hidden the worse her mood grew to be and with it would come sever stinging blows that would take days for his body to recover from, but he didn't care. All he knew was that he didn't want to feel any more pain and staying out of her reach was the only way to accomplish this, even if it was only going to work for a little while.

Suddenly the sound of water running filled his ears. He wondered just what was going on and what his mother was doing in his bathroom and what she was planning to do to him next as his eyes remained fixated on the thick piece of wood separating him from the danger on the other side.

Then it happened.

The door was yanked open, causing the child to retreat further into the darkened depths only to be pulled roughly to his feet.

"Mommy, no, please, don't" the boy pleaded with his mother as she started removing his clothing.

"Shut up you little brat!" she yelled as she dragged him into the bathroom where he could now see the bath tub that was filled with scorching hot water.

"I tried to be a good mother to you even after you ruined my relationship with your father and this is how you repay me, by getting in my way and causing me nothing but grief! I swear to God Lucas if I knew that you were going to be this much trouble I would have aborted you!"

"But I haven't done anything" the boy cried in protest "Mommy please stop! You're hurting me"

The small child could literally see the steam rising off of the clear liquid as his breath became lodged in his throat. For a split second he couldn't move or even blink. He couldn't or rather didn't want to believe his eyes or what his mother had intended to do to him.

Was she really going to do this?

Could his mother really be that cruel or unfeeling?

Did hate him so much that she would scold his flesh?

Unfortunately didn't have to wait long for the answer to his questions as he was lifted off of the ground and thrown into the water that burned his flesh the instant it came in contact with it.

The pain was unlike anything he had felt before as he screamed his lungs out and fought to get away from the current hell his mother had placed him in.

"You deserve this! You deserve every bit of pain for what you did! He stopped loving me because of you and now it's your turn to feel what it's like to get burned!" she yelled at him before yanking him from the tub and if it weren't for the fact that he had passed out from the trauma he would have been relieved.

She smiled viciously at the amount of pain that she was able to cause him. With her horrid need for revenge satisfied she quickly the young boy and laid him down in bed as if nothing had happed. Most mothers would at least feel some guilt after hurting their child as much as she just had, but not her. The woman hated this child not only for being born but for pushing the man that she loved out of her life. He was the reason for all of her pain and the reason she didn't have him any more so in her eyes this was divine justice.

He had to pay for making his life a living hell, working in that God awful factory day in and day out like some slave, only to have to spend every penny on him and things he needed. Now it was his turn to suffer for all the pain he brought about just by being born and she would make sure he got exactly what he deserved and then some.

As she left the room the boy slowly opened his eyes and allowed tears to fall down his cheeks as his burning flesh sent sharp pains throughout his body, practically rendering him motionless for fear of aggravating his injuries even more. However he did have enough strength within him to reaching under his pillow and retrieve his most prized possession, the picture of his father.

"I need you to come get me Daddy" the boy whispered to the picture as he cried a little harder "Please come rescue me"

These were the last words he spoke before crying himself unconscious.


	2. Finding You

**Chapter One: **Finding You

She stood in the doorway, watching him already knowing the reason for his red, puffy eyes and quiet withdrawn demeanor. She too had shed several tears over the very same loss he was suffering. It had been three long years since she and her husband had last seen their son. Three long years of hoping and praying for his safe return back to the family that missed him so much only to be let down each and every time the phone rang. However today was especially hard for all of them.

Lucas Eugene Scott was born six years ago today and it had been one of the happiest days of her life. He was such a sweet little angel, the light of her life and more importantly her husband's heart and soul. Not to say that Nathan, their younger son, wasn't. No Dan loved that boy more then life it's self but there was a special bond between himself and Lucas. It was something that only a father and his first born son could share and although Lucas had been missing for three years it was a connection that Dan clung to every single day. It was something to keep him going, something to hold onto. She couldn't help but grit her teeth in anger knowing that they wouldn't even be going through this if it weren't for that bitch.

Deborah Ann Lee was her name. She was some slut Dan had cheated on her with at college; she was one of those girls that guys never said no to and who always seemed to get her way.

She was rich, semi smart, and blond with big fake boobs, however she was nothing compared to her in Dan's eyes and Debbie knew it. However when Dan broke things off with her the woman became enraged and threatened to inflict upon him the same pain that he had left her to suffer with.

She blamed her for getting pregnant in order to trap Dan into staying with her, refusing to believe that she was already pregnant and engaged to Dan before he left for school. The woman was delusional, a complete train wreck who stalked them even after their wedding. It was horrifying to say the least and when Dan went to her to try and reason with the woman and to get her to leave his family alone she flipped out. Telling him that she was the one he should be with and that she had stolen him and her baby away from her, that Lucas was supposed to be her son and she continued this little fantasy even when Nathan was born.

One day she arrived at the daycare center to pick up her boys when she walked in and saw Deb holding Nathan and fighting with the director saying that she was their mother and demanding that she release Nathan and Lucas to her. Needless to say she didn't handle that too well and proceeded to beat the living hell out of the woman until the director of the center begged her to calm down and let her call the police. After the incident the Scott's filed an order of protection against Ms. Lee and things seemed to quiet down a bit.

Until that day, on May 10th 1991 that Dan took the boys to the park. It was a day that neither of them would ever forget.

Nathan was too small to play on his own so Dan allowed three year old Lucas to play by himself, making the boy promise to stay close.

That was the last day they had seen their little boy. Dan turned his back for only one split second and within that instant Lucas was gone.

It was also the same day Deb had disappeared. After a while it wasn't hard to figure out. Deb had taken their baby away and was now only God knows where with him.

Dan never forgave himself. He spent everyday for the past three years following leads, trying to find their boy and bring him home, all to no avail.

"Hey sweetie" she spoke in a low voice, slowly making her way into her husband's home office.

"Karen honey I didn't hear you come in" replied Dan, trying to shield his face from hers.

She smiled faintly well aware of what he was trying to do.

The raven haired woman walked over to the man she loved for as long as she could remember and lowered herself down onto his lap. She then placed a delicate hand on his chin and raised his face until his eyes rested upon hers.

"It's okay to miss him Dan"

"Not for me. I don't have that right and you know it Kar. I should have been more careful. Maybe this is God's way of punishing me for not being a good father and for being so God damn stupid for bringing her into our lives"

Warm streaks of water were now streaming down his face as Karen brought his head to rest on her chest before wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

"Don't say that Danny. You are a great husband and a great father. So you were weak once upon a time and did what normal teenaged boys do. I forgave you and I took you back. Now, I'm not going to sit here and pretend that you weren't reckless with Lucas because you were. You allowed our little boy to be taken but at the same time he would not have disappeared if it weren't for that psychotic bitch. So if you're looking for a villain to blame honey it's not you, it's Deb and one day I promise you she will pay for what she's done" Karen could now feel her lower lip trembling as she began to sob "I promise you she will not get away with taking our baby from us. I'll make her pay even it it's the last thing I do"

"Mommy" a voice called out, startling the pair.

"Hey Nathan baby" Karen said smiling at the young boy decked out in his spider man pajamas "Come here angel"

The small dark haired child did exactly what his mother said, taking unsure steps in his parent's direction. He didn't like seeing them so sad, especially his Mommy.

When he reached them, the boy was pulled into a tight embrace and stood there silently while his Mommy and Daddy cried. He didn't understand why they were so sad but he did like getting hugs so he didn't complain.

"I love you so much sweetheart" whispered Karen, overwhelmed by everything.

This time of year was so painful and would continue to be so until the day their baby boy returned home. She also couldn't help but think that Deb was out there somewhere just waiting for her chance to steal Nathan away just as she had done with Lucas. The thought scared her more then anything else the world could throw at her.

"Mommy, Daddy, why are you crying?"

"Well today is a very special day" Dan said picking up a picture off of his desk and handing it to Nathan.

"Today is your big brother's birthday"

"The one that was taken away?"

"Yes honey. That's Lucas and today he turns six years old" replied Karen not trusting herself to say anything else.

"Did you find him yet Daddy? Is my brother coming home today?"

Dan's heart sank.

He wanted more than anything to say yes, to tell his younger son that his big brother was coming back home, back to them where he belonged but he couldn't. Lucas was still lost to them. He was still somewhere out there with a psychopath who was doing only God knew what to him. The thought made Dan shake his head vehemently, trying not only to rid himself of the many images flashing through his head but to shake off the horrible notion that Lucas may never come home again.

"No Lucas isn't coming home just yet Nathan. But one day he will. One day" whispered Dan.

Later on that evening Dan found himself once again sitting in his study. Karen was in the bathroom pretending to take a shower (unbeknownst to her Dan could hear her crying through the door) and Nathan was sound asleep in Lucas's room, saying that when his brother came home he wanted to surprise him by being there when he walked through the door. It was a sweet moment so Dan didn't seem the point in ruining the kid's fantasy so he kissed him good night and allowed him to stay in his brother's room before sneaking back into seclusion.

Now he sat in the darkness of his study the flames of the fireplace crackling in the background with a glass of brandy in one hand and a picture of his son in the other.

Then suddenly he could hear the faintest sound of a child's voice call out to him _"I need you to come get me Daddy"_

For a moment he thought that it was Nathan calling out to him as he rushed down the hall into his son's room. When he saw that Nathan was still asleep he allowed himself to drop to the ground, fearing that he may be losing his mind. Then it happened again. It was the same voice, this time he recognized it right away.

"_Please come rescue me"_

"Lucas. Son. I'm trying just hold on ok, hold on" he spoke softly in disbelief just as the phone rang.

He rushed into the other room with swift movements that he hadn't realized his body still possessed.

"Hello"

"Mr. Scott its detective Bambrick. I'm sorry to disturb you. Is this a bad time?"

"No. Of course not. What's going on?"

"Mr. Scott I'm going to need you to sit down"

"Why is this about Lucas" questioned Dan the second Karen entered the room.

"What about Lucas" she instantly questioned as Dan sat down and motioned for her to join him.

"Mr. Scott I don't want you to get your hopes up but I think that we may have a link to where your son might be"

"Oh my God, that's great. Where is he?"

"Like I said Mr. Scott we don't want you to get your hopes up but we believe that he's in Charleston, or at least he was"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Scott but a woman fitting Deb's description was last seen going into an apartment complex earlier tonight with a little boy fitting Lucas's description"

"Okay…"

"And a few hours later the apartment building had a massive fire and it was said to have originated from the very same apartment that woman was renting. Mr. Scott neither the woman nor the child made it out alive. I'm sorry but we have reason to believe that your son is dead, but like I said it could be…"

Dan hung up before the detective had a chance to finish. The look on his face was one of terror and pain, a pain that needed no words as he turned to face his wife.

"NO!" she cried seeing it in his eyes as she stood up and backed away from him as if he were the devil.

"NO! Don't you say it Dan, don't you dare say it. Our boy, our baby, he isn't…no, he can't be! Please tell me that he's not…Tell me that woman didn't hurt him…tell me that he's coming home to me, to us, to Nathan…please Dan said it for me. Please"

Dan said nothing. All he could do was rise and take his wife into his arms and tried to restrain her.

"Oh God NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!! LUCAS!!! No, not my Lucas" the mother screamed as loud as her voice would allow as her husband held onto her for dear life.

He stayed there with her, until only silence remained. Part of him was dead inside thinking the worst to be true but then again there was something else forcing his consciousness to believe something else entirely. It had to be the connection that he shared with his boy. A connection that was now stronger then ever before and it told him all that he needed to know. He needed to get on the first flight available and head to Charleston. But he wasn't going for the reason most people would think. He wasn't going to claim the body of his eldest son no, he was going to find him and bring him home for good.


	3. Tears

**Chapter Two: **Tears

They watched the tall figure moving across the office with great anticipation. Only a few pieces of furniture decorated the room, a desk with a worn leather chair, a lamp, one family picture, a file cabinet and two simple office chairs placed in front of the large oak wood desk. Everything in the room was fitting to the taste of the man now seated before them.

Detective Bambrick was his name. He was a quiet man. Not timid or shy but just quiet. He was the type of person who only spoke when he felt the need to and was always very forward with his clients, no matter how much it hurt. He had been working hard for years on their son's case and today they were just informed that two bodies had been found among the wreckage of what was believed to have been Deb's apartment. Dan and Karen Scott sat side by side with their hands clasped tightly together, waiting on the DNA report that their detective held in the palm of his hand.

It had been a very tough three days to get through but they were handling it the best way that they could. They had prayed, pleaded with God and made deals that they knew were impossible to keep but they were desperate and didn't know what else to do. They needed to believe that their son was still alive and out there somewhere safe, hoping that Deb wasn't sick enough to hurt a little boy.

As they looked into the eyes of the blond now sitting behind the desk they felt a pain so sharp, so intense that it felt as if their hearts would crumble to pieces at any moment. Both Dan and Karen knew what this meant. They were scared.

The air around them was heavy and suddenly too hard to breathe. With the air caught in their lungs like fist, the couple clung even tighter to one another as detective Bambrick began to speak.

"I know how difficult this must be for you and for that I am truly sorry" he then paused and waited for a moment to pass before continuing "However we've hit a road block in the investigation"

"What? What kind of road block? What do you mean?" questioned Dan.

He was growing more and more frustrated by the second. After days of giving all kinds of DNA samples, crying, praying, comforting his heart broken wife and waiting to hear back from the lab he was now faced with a road block. How the hell was this possible? More importantly hadn't he and Karen been through enough? Why were they being punished this way? It just simply wasn't fair. All they wanted to do was bring their boy home, was that too much to ask?

"Mr. Scott the DNA lab is going to need a little more time to analyze the samples. Apparently the bodies found in the apartment were burned almost down to the bone so it's going to be extremely difficult to find a sample that has not been compromised"

Dan was now seeing red. He couldn't believe what he was hearing as he shot up to his feet and began shouting.

"This shit is fucking unbelievable! How incompetent are these people? Don't they know how hard this is for us? Don't they know that it's killing us not knowing whether or not our son, our first born child is dead or alive? What kind of people would put a missing child's parent's through this kind of grief?"

The pain and fear that laced his tone were indisputable as Karen placed a gentle hand on her distraught husband's arm and guided him back into his seat. She gave him a warm, understanding smile and wiped a stray tear from his eye before turning to the detective.

"As you can see this has been a very long and painful process for my husband and I so please bare with us" she took a breath before continuing "How much longer do you think it's going to take for them to identify the bodies?"

She was trying desperately to maintain her composure. As anxious as she was for answers, she knew that screaming at the man wasn't going to do them any good. So she was going to remain calm and rational until she and her husband were back in their hotel room, then and only then would she allow herself to release each and every single one of the emotions she was feeling at the moment.

"To be honest with you Mrs. Scott it could take as little as a few days leading up to another three weeks"

Dan shook his head and lowered it as tears began to fall. The thought of having to wait so long was killing him. He needed answers right now, not tomorrow, not the next day, and certainly not three whole weeks from now but what else could he do? He had no other options.

"Ok, well since there's nothing here for us to do I guess this means that it's time for us head back to our room" the woman spoke as she slowly made her way to her feet "Please call us at the hotel when you have the information available"

"Sure Mrs. Scott. I'll call you the second that I get the results, you have my word" the man spoke sadly with head bowing slightly.

He felt horrible about the situation but the truth of the matter was that he had done his job and this current situation was simply beyond his control.

"Thank you" replied Karen as she turned back to her husband and helped the man to his feet.

She looked on with saddened eyes as she watched the man she loved walk with slumped shoulders, reddened eyes and a face that had lost its power to show emotion. For the first time in his life Dan Scott looked dead, as if his very soul had been snatched from his body leaving it vacant and swimming in a black void. Maybe in some way it had detached from his body, vanishing right along with their son, turning him into the empty shell that now stood before her. 

"Come on Danny, let's go" she spoke softly to him as he followed her led.

Later on that night they found themselves once again locked away in their room with only the faint sound of the air conditioner blowing in the background. There in the darkness of that night Dan and Karen Scott held onto each other as if their very lives depended on it, both lost in their own world and drowning in a pool of their own tears.

Meanwhile in New York City…

A woman pulls into a downtown hotel with a small child sleeping soundly in the seat next to her. She was wearing a twisted smile on her face, a short black dress and her blond hair was blowing in the night time air as she parked the car and let out a breath. She was quite full of herself this one. She had done the unthinkable and was now miles away from the vicious crime she had committed, one that had cost two innocent souls their very lives.

The mother and son that had trusted her so foolishly and so easily had unknowingly aided her in getting that nosey ass detective off her back long enough to get out of town safely with the kid. Now she was free to come up with a new game plan to get back the man she loved and the little dark haired boy that should have come from her, that should have been conceived out of their love for one another, but none of that mattered right now. All she had to do was find a way to reclaim them but first she had to create a new life for herself.

Adjusting her hair, clothing and make-up she stepped out of the car and locking it up tight behind her, careful not to wake the child sleeping inside. She then strolled up to room 206 where her first client was waiting for her. She knocked on the door, posing seductively for the man who appeared shortly thereafter on the other side.

He was tall with dark hair and green eyes just the way she liked her men. He was also very high class. He drove a Jaguar, wore Armani, had a Rolex on his right wrist and had diamond cuff links on his sleeves. Everything about the man screamed money.

With Scotch in one hand her ass in the other the man smirked before pulling her into a long kiss.

"I've been waiting on you all night baby"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Now we're going to do all those freaking little things that you promised me right?"

"Of course sweetheart but first I need to see it"

"You're quite the eager one aren't you baby?"

With that he gave her a hard slap on the ass and walked into the room where a briefcase lay in the middle of the bed. He then turned to her and opened it, stepping aside and showing her its contents, three thousand dollars.

"Now that's what I like to see"

The dark figure laughed.

"I figured you would. Now let's get down to business, shall we"

"Yes" the blond replied with a smirk "Let's" before stepping in and closing the door shut behind her.


	4. Six Years Three Months and Four Days

**A/N: Sorry it's taken forever to write this guys but my computer died and now this one has a virus so please bare with me. In this story so far Lucas has been gone a total of Eight years. He was kiddnapped at age 4, the last chapter was two years after the inital kinapping and now it's six years later (hope you all can follow that) So here's the new chapter I hope you all like it and as always don't forget to review!!**

**Chapter Three:** Six Years, Three Months and Four Days

Darkness. That was the world he lived in. It was cruel, rough and filled with all kinds of shady characters, most of which could be found in his mother's bedroom on any given night. They drank heavily, cursed too much and was quick to throw a back hand or fist in his direction just for the hell of it or simply because he dared to look in their direction. If he wasn't beaten unconscious by his mother's so called "friends" he would pick himself off the floor and run into his room in an attempt to escape it all. When that didn't work he would sigh and grow frustrated as he was forced to listen to the sounds of animalistic sex penetrating his bedroom walls.

The thought made him violently ill.

He remembered talking to her about it one time. She simply laughed in his face before slapping him hard and reminding him that this was the only way that she could provide for his miserable ass. That he was the reason that she had to sell herself in order to clothe him and put food on the table. Then moments later she told him that she loved him and asked for forgiveness. She said that his father was to blame for their situation and that if he hadn't left them for some bitch named Karen that they would be a happy family. Then she held him tightly and said that he should go to his room because one of her friends would be there shortly. He nodded his head and did as he was told never again daring to speak of his mother's forced profession or the father that had left them behind to deal with such a fate.

The air outside was crisp and the wind was strong as he wondered through the streets of New York City. The one thing he loved about this place was the bright lights and crowds of all different kinds of people.

He smiled to himself at the irony.

He felt safer amongst the crowds of strangers then he ever had in his own home.

Turning the corner he walked further from the lights and the protection of the city to the sirens, robbers, drug dealers and addicts alike that littered his block. With each step he took he felt his life force draining from him. He felt his face harden, his eyes narrow and shift towards the ground being sure not to make eye contact with the wrong person. It always amazed him how two blocks could make a suck a huge difference between what kind of neighborhood he found himself in. The city was an amazing place.

A block later he found himself looking at the place that he had called home for the past six years. It was an old dingy apartment building with three floors that were bound to cave in at any moment not to mention the infestation of mice and roaches, walls that had holes in them and water that only ran hot for ten minutes every eight hour. There were two crack addicts that always seemed to sit in the exact same position on the front stair case all day, every day since he could remember. One was a lady that he guessed to be around his mother's ages but somehow her eyes said that she was much younger then she appeared to be. There was some innocence left in them like she had experienced so much but yet lived so little at the same time. He always felt sorry for her. He wondered what had happened in her life time that could have possible led her to where she was today. Next to her was a man that looked to be in his forties. He had blond hair hidden underneath a coat of dirt and the coldest blue eyes that the boy had ever seen. The man sent chills up and down his spine but he never showed it. In this part of town fear and death were joined at the hip.

Quickly passing the two by he walked up the two flights of stairs to the apartment that he shared with his mother. Before he even opened the door he could hear the noise coming from the other side of the door. He heard the cheering and the multitude of male voices and inwardly cringed. His mother was entertaining a multitude of men again.

He always hated this.

It was bad enough that his mother slept with men for money but when she would sleep with several at a time in front of an audience it made him sick and wish that he wasn't even born so that his Mom wouldn't have to go through this. He knew that her profession was the reason why she drank so much and why she took out her frustrations on him and he only had his existence to blame for this. Hanging his heads down low he stuck his key in the lock and opened the front door bracing himself for what he would find on the other side. The second he stepped foot in the small apartment he was greeted by huge rough hands slamming him hard against the wall.

"Who the hell are you?" the gruff voice questioned.

"I live here. Now who the hell are you?"

The instant that he spoke he heard the labored voice of his mother.

"Go to your room kid. Now before I beat the shit out of you" she ordered.

Following the sound of her voice his eyes rested upon his mother laying flat on her back, legs spread wide open on their kitchen table with a rather large tattooed bald man positioned between them. She looked half out of it and he knew why.

She was high out of her mind.

"Get that kid the hell out of here. He's making me lose my wood" the bald guy yelled prompting the other to release him.

He instantly made his way to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him in an attempt to shut out what was happening on the other side. But it didn't work. It never did.

Tossing his backpack onto the floor the boy laid on his bed and shut his eyes. He sighed in lonely frustration over the life he wished he could have had if his father had chosen to stick around and save himself and his mother from the horrible lifestyle they lived today. Reaching underneath his pillow he retrieved the only piece he had left of the father that abandoned them. He stared at the picture with a mixture of longing, hatred and wonder. He wondered how a man who looked so loving and caring in this picture could be so heartless, so selfish as to leave his family alone and penniless. He wondered how he could leave behind a woman who loved him so much and a son who needed a father, a son who needed him. Although he thought about these things there was something in the man's eyes that troubled him.

He couldn't put his finger on it but somehow he knew there was something that he was missing. Something not quite right about not only the man in the picture but the entire situation it's self. It was like his mother was leaving something out. He didn't know why but these thoughts always led him back to his father and that Karen woman. A woman he had never seen before but wondered so much about. Maybe it was because she was the reason his father had left them. Or maybe she was part of the missing piece that he just couldn't for the life of him figure out.

He imagined this woman to be a kind, loving person with dark hair, big brown eyes and a soft voice, a far cry from the person his mother happened to be. He never understood why he would hold the woman responsible for breaking up his home as some sort of angel. On some days he could close his eyes and hear the woman singing to him, her voice soothing and full of comfort. Her voice was sweet, gentle and loving. Sometimes he felt guilty about dreaming of her. It was so weird. Shouldn't he hate her with every fiber of his being? Shouldn't he wish her dead? He should have but he didn't. There was just something about this mystery woman that he couldn't get out of his mind.

Turning on his side he stuck the picture back under his pillow and tried to get some rest but he couldn't. All he could do was think about his father and Karen and wondering just what the hell it all meant just as he heard the woman's sweet voice singing to him once again…

* * *

"Hush little baby don't say a word. Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird. If that mocking bird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring. If that diamond ring don't shine, you'll still be the sweetest little baby of mine"

There she was again.

Singing a song to a boy who had been gone for eight long years. Singing to a ghost that has haunted her since the day her son was taken away and swept into the world of a mad woman.

She never understood why she did this to herself.

After all she still had a son who was right there in her house, in the room just next to the one she found herself sitting in but yet she could never bring herself let go of his long gone older sibling. Sure she loved dark haired boy more then anything in the world and usually spent her days in "over protective" mother mode but at night, during this hour she always found herself in this room filled with unopened birthday and Christmas presents trying to fill the void of her broken heart. She sighed wondering where her son was. Wondering if he was happy, if he was safe, if he was even still alive at all.

Her husband wasn't doing any better.

Dan was a mess and would drink heavily on their son's birthday and Christmas time. He would go on and on about how all of this was his fault and how he was a terrible father. She felt so sorry for him, for them all but she knew that they had to move on.

On the day that Detective Bambrick informed them that the bodies found on that faithful day six years ago was in fact NOT that of their son's or his abductor the couple couldn't have been more relieved. However the fact was that he was still out there somewhere and they wouldn't rest until they found him. The only problem was that Deb had appeared to have drop off the face of the planet and had taken their baby boy with her.

In that moment she felt enraged. It wasn't enough that the bitch had slept with her husband, no, she had to take away her child too. Was there anything of hers that the whore didn't feel entitled to? The woman cursed under breath. She wanted more then anything to be locked in a room with Ms. Deborah Lee for just five minutes so she could beat the hell out of her for causing her family so much pain and for taking her son away from her, from his father. She cried silent tears knowing that she may never have that chance and that her son was fast becoming nothing but a distant, painful memory. The thought killed her and seemed to take away her very breath.

"Karen"

She looked up and saw her husband standing in the doorway.

"Come back to bed honey. Sitting in this room is doing nothing to help you" the man said walking over to her and extending a hand.

"What if this room and just a few memories is all that we'll ever have left of him?"

Dan sighed and sat down next to her.

"I don't believe that for a second but if that turns out to be true then I say we'll have to pick up the pieces of our lives and try to be the best parents we can for Nathan and to make him as happy as possible. That's all we'll be able to do Karen"

The woman looked down in defeat and shook her head.

"Why can't they just find him? Why is it so hard?"

"You know why Karen. It's been too long and Deb is just too good at not being found. Besides we wouldn't know what Lucas looks like anyway"

"Don't say that! I know it's been eight years but I would know my son if I saw him. I don't care what the woman has done. I'm Lucas's mother and I would know my son and he would know me. I believe this Dan, I have to"

He looked at her with great sadness wondering if what she was saying was true or if she was just tapering on the edge of delusion. He wanted more then anything to believe that she was right. At one point he would have known it but the years had seemed to dash away all hope of ever finding their son. He didn't want to believe the worse or even think it but he had no choice. Nathan still needed parents and he couldn't live in the fantasy world where Lucas returned home. No, he had to live in the present.

"Of course you would honey. Now please let's just go back to bed. Nathan has a play tomorrow and we don't want to bring him down with our sadness. It's not fair to him" he said giving his wife a kiss on the head.

He hated seeing her like this. The worst part was that there was nothing he could do to fix it.

"Ok" Karen finally replied rising to her feet.

"Oh Dan when are you leaving for that meeting again?"

"Friday night unfortunately, why?"

"I think it would be a good idea if Nathan and I tagged alone. I could really use a break from this place"

Dan smiled.

"That's great honey. I would love to have the two of you along. In fact why don't we extend the trip a little. After all Nathan has winter recess next week, so there's no need for us to rush back home"

"Yeah, that sounds like a wonderful idea Dan" the woman stopped short just as they were about to enter their bedroom.

"Where are we going again?"

"Only to one of the greatest cities in the world" the man replied with the grin of kid in a candy store.

"And where would that be again"

Dan rolled his eyes put his arms around his wife.

"We're going to the big apple. Baby we're going to New York City"


End file.
